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Choosing a mathematics curriculum program is an important decision. The program should fit your department beliefs on how a curriculum can best support student learning and teacher implementation. CPM wants you to find the best curriculum for your school or district. If you are looking for a student-centered, problem-based curriculum, then you have come to the right place! We hope the tools and information will be helpful as you complete the review process.

CPM Educational Program, a California non-profit corporation, has provided problem-based instructional materials and professional development for teachers since its inception in 1989. “College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM)” was originally an Eisenhower-funded grant program. CPM teaching strategies focus on how students best learn and retain mathematics. Teaching strategies rely on the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and are based solidly on the methodological research in teaching mathematics. The research-based principles that guide the course are:

Students should engage in problem-based lessons structured around a core idea.

Guided by a knowledgeable teacher, students should interact in groups to foster mathematical discourse.

Practice with concepts and procedures should be spaced over time; that is, mastery comes over time.

Although CPM predates the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice by about 20 years, very similar practices have always been a core and integral part of CPM curriculum materials. Because of CPM’s broad experience and long history with these practices, the CCSS Mathematical Practices are deeply and seamlessly interwoven into the fabric of the daily lessons. The course balances procedural fluency (algorithms and basic skills), deep conceptual understanding, strategic competence (problem solving), and adaptive reasoning (application and extension).